Kawasaki Dealership Bites the Dust

[carolinakid1]

Just learned that "Top Gear Motorsports", the Athens, GA dealership, just closed its doors.

[ringadingh]

It appears that more are closing than opening lately. I think the only way for them to survive is to become a multi line dealership. HD seems to be the only one to make it on its own, and even some of them fail.

[davidjmurphy]

Most Dealers only like their product under 1 roof. The problem is they force dealers to take so many bikes ATV etc.,even when they have products from previous years. Then after 3 or 6 months they have to pay interest on all new products that are not sold. Then they may lose the rebates which are only on for few months. Four small dealers have closed their doors in the last couple of years here.

[landman]

this is what you get when so many folks expect dealers to match online prices from companies who have no store overhead expenses.the trend towards buying
online has caused many small bussinesses to close.i'm not pointing any fingers hear as i am as guilty as the next guy but if we want the convience of nearby dealers for service we had better find a way to support them.very little money is made on the sale of the unit and most dealerships are supported by the service and parts dept.

[cactusjack]

this is what you get when so many folks expect dealers to match online prices from companies who have no store overhead expenses.the trend towards buying
online has caused many small bussinesses to close.i'm not pointing any fingers hear as i am as guilty as the next guy but if we want the convience of nearby dealers for service we had better find a way to support them.very little money is made on the sale of the unit and most dealerships are supported by the service and parts dept.

You're right, service and accessories is where they make the most profit. It's too bad most dealers don't understand the concept of service, and I don't mean just repairs and maintenance - I mean customer service.

[ringadingh]

If dealers were to sell accessories on volume, perhaps online shopping wouldn't be as popular. and actually quite a few online sellers are dealers.

[cnc]

If dealers were to sell accessories on volume, perhaps online shopping wouldn't be as popular. and actually quite a few online sellers are dealers.

I think your right Steve, It seems a lot of the bigger power sports dealers, or at least ones with a fair bit of stock sell on ebay to move things along before it gets too stale.

[minst7877]

I went to the local Kaw dealer to pick up some parts for my bike. I needed some banjo bolt washers as I'm having a couple of lines made because of adding risers to my bike. Don't want to reuse the old seals. They had to order them then they had the gall to charge me a special handling fee on top of the part cost. It's no wonder everyone is getting their stuff online. These dealers are their own worst enemy.

DC

DC

[AlabamaNomadRider]

Always hate to hear of a dealership closing. The dealership that I have now bought four bikes from through the years is located at Gadsden, AL. This is a 30 to 40 minute ride for me from my house. The first bike I bought from them was a new 1981 Honda 650 and they were in business years before I bought that bike. They are doing something right. It isn't their price so I guess it must be the good customer service they offer. They do offer Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki products. Most parts I need have to be ordered but they will be in the next day. I can even call them and they will order for me without me coming in. They will call and let me know the part or parts have arrived. Guess that is what keeps me doing business with them.

[okiecop]

Dealers around the SW Oklahoma area normally don't want to deal on motorcycles so Kansas gets a lot of business from Oklahoma. As long as a person is treated fair, they'll be a repeat customer. Sad to hear of another dealership going under and it seems the trend is to have multiple lines of motorcycles these days. The local dealership here just took on Victory along with Kawasaki and Suzuki and in a different town they sell Kawasaki, Yamaha and Honda.

I also heard, don't know if it's true, that Harley no longer allows dealerships to sell their genuine Harley accessories online anymore. I was told that if you want genuine HD accessories, you had to go to a shop.

[Tiger J]

My local dealer carries HD, Kawasaki, Star/Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki. However, they recently acquired the building next door (used to be a local hunting supply and gun store that got killed when Bass Pro and Cabelas moved nearby) and now they have converted it into a seperate HD showroom. I think they were the only or one of the only St. Louis area HD dealers that carried new metric lines as well in the same showroom. I wonder if HD was behind their decision to seperate the HD product.

[cactusjack]

Dealers around the SW Oklahoma area normally don't want to deal on motorcycles so Kansas gets a lot of business from Oklahoma. As long as a person is treated fair, they'll be a repeat customer. Sad to hear of another dealership going under and it seems the trend is to have multiple lines of motorcycles these days. The local dealership here just took on Victory along with Kawasaki and Suzuki and in a different town they sell Kawasaki, Yamaha and Honda.

I also heard, don't know if it's true, that Harley no longer allows dealerships to sell their genuine Harley accessories online anymore. I was told that if you want genuine HD accessories, you had to go to a shop.

I've heard that too. I don't know how true it is, but Zanotti's HD is closing up and they are a huge online seller in the midwest. I know that North American dealers can't ship HD parts to Europe anymore. The European dealers were complaining because dealers in other countries were getting all their P&A business.

[ponch]

this is what you get when so many folks expect dealers to match online prices from companies who have no store overhead expenses.the trend towards buying
online has caused many small bussinesses to close.i'm not pointing any fingers hear as i am as guilty as the next guy but if we want the convience of nearby dealers for service we had better find a way to support them.very little money is made on the sale of the unit and most dealerships are supported by the service and parts dept.

With the internet, the world is getting a lot smaller. It's possible to research pricing and get some competitive deals on most products. The thing is to weigh is the hassle worth the savings. The problem I see is that sometimes local dealers either aren't savvy about the competition that exists beyond their horizon, in which they believe they have a captive market, or they don't care because they believe locals will buy local because that is the culture. Times are changing and dealers that don't adjust to the realities will go away. In a sense that is a sort of natural selection and probably a good thing in the long run.

I won't go out of my way to save a few hundred bucks on a new bike through buying it out of state, but I would for a couple thousand (whose money is it?). I don't use a dealer for anything but warranty service. On the other hand, I really don't hear from dealers after I've bought cars or motorcycles from them. If a dealer is smart, they work to keep a relationship with a customer too. For instance, in the last month I have been inundated with calls and mailings from the dealer where I bought my suburban that encouraged be to trade my 2009 Suburban in for a new as the values of used cars are up. Well, perusing their site, I saw that they had a bunch of 2011 high optioned Suburbans in stock they obviously haven't been able to sell. I hadn't heard from them in two and half years and now I do when it suits them? I don't need to trade the vehicle in for a new one and to be honest, it's the last GM I'll ever own from a quality/price/value proposition and I told them so and not to contact me anymore.

The bottom line is that any dealer is going to have to figure out how to be competitive beyond their area code if they want to stay in business.

[Loafer]

We had a great dealer with nice employees about 8 miles from me. They had Honda, Kawaski, Suzuki, and Yamaha motocycles, ATV's and snowmachines. They did have some accessories available and were dealing on-line. Sadly they decided to close this dealership and reverted back to having just their original dealership 50 miles from me. Money talks in this world.

[ringadingh]

I went to the local Kaw dealer to pick up some parts for my bike. I needed some banjo bolt washers as I'm having a couple of lines made because of adding risers to my bike. Don't want to reuse the old seals. They had to order them then they had the gall to charge me a special handling fee on top of the part cost. It's no wonder everyone is getting their stuff online. These dealers are their own worst enemy.

DC
DC
When I replaced the brake lines with SS lines the guy gave me new crush washers with the brake lines. I rarely order parts from my local dealer because he never carries anything in stock, never gives a price break and usually wants me to come in and pay for the part first. Then I end up making two trips to the dealer.

[ringadingh]

My local dealer carries HD, Kawasaki, Star/Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki. However, they recently acquired the building next door (used to be a local hunting supply and gun store that got killed when Bass Pro and Cabelas moved nearby) and now they have converted it into a seperate HD showroom. I think they were the only or one of the only St. Louis area HD dealers that carried new metric lines as well in the same showroom. I wonder if HD was behind their decision to seperate the HD product.
The multi line dealers here have done the same thing with the HD's. The one dealer was told that if he didn't move and build a nice showroom ,that he would lose the HD franchise. Robinsons HD that was a longtime dealer lost their franchise and now just sells used bikes that they bring in from the states.

[jestephens]

One of my favorite places to go for service is a former Dealer, now Used-bike, shop in Ferguson, MO.

They are one of my favorites because they provide great customer service as well as reliable mechanic service. My current Kawasaki dealer isn't the closest to home, in fact almost 7 times further, but I bought my Vaquero from them, and return to them for the same reasons.
Someone mentioned it already, but so many dealers, of any brand, get an elitist attitude toward their brand or type (cruiser, dirt, sport, ATV) and forget how their bills get paid, by customers.

One of my favorite dealerships of all time is Gail's HD, near Kansas City (at least in my top 5). They seem to know what's going on, and hire good people. Even though I don't/won't do the HD thing, when I lived nearer I still tried to support them by attending their events, supporting the causes they were promoting, and their former dyno technician "Dyno-Mike" was a big help when I couldn't get my bike to run right after installing the hypercharger on my '05 Nomad. And I obviously still promote them by word of mouth.

It doesn't take much to keep people happy. Treat them fairly, and give them a good value (not the same thing as low-price).

[carolinakid1]

This dealer had a decent mechanic, but customer service up front really stunk. One salesman really abused me once when I was trying to negotiate a deal on a motorcycle so I wrote the owner an old fashion letter (not email), no response. At that point I knew they would not survive. True customer service is so rare today, that it becomes a premium that separates you from the competition.

[dyetube]

This dealer had a decent mechanic, but customer service up front really stunk. One salesman really abused me once when I was trying to negotiate a deal on a motorcycle so I wrote the owner an old fashion letter (not email), no response. At that point I knew they would not survive. True customer service is so rare today, that it becomes a premium that separates you from the competition.

You'd think these dealerships would want to give you the best customer service so they'd get your repeat business. While the Honda dealer here gives great CS both Kawasaki dealerships I've been to don't. They just want to take your money any way they can.

[brote]

You are right Mike the customer service was really bad plus they had to compete with Cycle World, the Honda / Harley dealer next to them. Great place is North Georgia Motorsports in Hoschton, GA just off 85.

[dmac]

Last summer I was sad to find out that the closest Kawi dealer to me, which I drive by everyday, quit handling Kawasaki. This dealership at one time had 5 brands, now they're down to two. My Honda dealer, where I bought my goldwing from, is great. I walk in, they know me by first name. One day I walked in and the manager was busy with a customer and he made it a point to come outside to say Hi before I left. Great customer service.

[cptmorganfred]

When I bought my nomad in 08 I was told that there wasn't much gas in it as they didn't keep gas on the premises for insurance reasons. Huh??? Anyway in less than 2 miles I was out of gas. So much for that customer dealership relationship. They knew it happened through a friend of mine who was in the store the next day but never brought it up with me and I chose to deal with it by telling the world. My son, 18 at the time was looking for a quad a couple years later and had done his research and was sure it would be a kawasaki. Went to the bank and arranged the financing and he and a buddy went to the dealer. The bike he wanted was on the floor and he asked permission to sit on it. At that time another customer came in and was talking with the owner or manager or whoever it was and he said to the customer "gee at least when you come in and sit on a bike you end up buying it". My son left, went to the Honda dealer and bought a Honda. I have more horror stories about this place but think I,ve made my point. Yes, it is sad when a dealership goes south but sometimes they bring a lot of it on themselves.

[ponch]

Good customer service comes down to see things through the customer's eyes. A good dealer will have employees that ask themselves "how would I want to be treated if I was a customer shopping here" etc. If you get treated badly, then either they didn't ask that question or they are sado-masochists. Or just ignorant. An interesting service might be an organization that keeps a database on customer satisfaction for dealerships. Kind of like Carfax but with the idea of the dealer being analyzed. I know such things exist for companies in general, like Vault.com and Glass Door.

[Loafer]

With the economy the way it is, they should have the red carpet out for everyone coming through their doors. I almost never buy on the first visit, how I get treated will determine whether I retun there when I am going to purchase.

[rflnomad]

I agree that customer service is weak. And I am amazed at the same time. With sales being less than record setting, one would think people would be treated much better. I am not talking about groveling, but basic respect and attention what people ask for. I have asked our local Kawi, Honda, Suzi and Ducati multi store for more apparel. They respond "Why?" "You are just going to buy it online anyway." So my response is "well, if you insist!"
Their tire specials are not good. I go to an independant store and have him do it.

My bigger grief is with H-D, though. If I even mention the old Wide Glide they just laugh. In fact, the parts and service people tell me to take it to an independant shop; they will not touch it. (I wouldn't let them anyway!!) If I went in to drop 20K on a bike & shirts & foof, I am welcome. But after that, I am a second class citizen.

[cactusjack]

I agree that customer service is weak. And I am amazed at the same time. With sales being less than record setting, one would think people would be treated much better. I am not talking about groveling, but basic respect and attention what people ask for. I have asked our local Kawi, Honda, Suzi and Ducati multi store for more apparel. They respond "Why?" "You are just going to buy it online anyway." So my response is "well, if you insist!"
Their tire specials are not good. I go to an independant store and have him do it.

My bigger grief is with H-D, though. If I even mention the old Wide Glide they just laugh. In fact, the parts and service people tell me to take it to an independant shop; they will not touch it. (I wouldn't let them anyway!!) If I went in to drop 20K on a bike & shirts & foof, I am welcome. But after that, I am a second class citizen.

Many dealers won't work on bikes over 10 years old, not just HD. My buddy with a 1985 GoldWing went to the Honda dealer to get a headlight replaced and they wouldn't touch it.

[ponch]

I agree that customer service is weak. And I am amazed at the same time. With sales being less than record setting, one would think people would be treated much better. I am not talking about groveling, but basic respect and attention what people ask for. I have asked our local Kawi, Honda, Suzi and Ducati multi store for more apparel. They respond "Why?" "You are just going to buy it online anyway." So my response is "well, if you insist!"
Their tire specials are not good. I go to an independant store and have him do it.

My bigger grief is with H-D, though. If I even mention the old Wide Glide they just laugh. In fact, the parts and service people tell me to take it to an independant shop; they will not touch it. (I wouldn't let them anyway!!) If I went in to drop 20K on a bike & shirts & foof, I am welcome. But after that, I am a second class citizen.

A friend of mine that has an HD told me the local HD dealer won't work on anything that is pre-twin cam on the big twins. They say the same thing, take it to an independent. Funny thing is, HD has parts for bikes way before 1999. May be it's just a case of HD wanting to sell newer stuff. Keeping an old bike on the road doesn't sell the new one on the showroom floor. Apple Computer did the same thing. I used to work for an Apple shop and they basically killed their inventory past a certain point. I had to source parts from third parties on older computers. If you go to the Apple Store, they won't fix a computer that is more than 3 years old. They want you to buy new.

[cactusjack]

I think it's more of a liability issue with bike dealers. Maybe the HD dealers don't have techs old enough to have ever worked on the Evo engines, let alone panheads and shovelheads?

I'm thinking it's something along the lines of working on older bikes bolts can seize, studs can snap and plastic (Goldwings) gets brittle and breaks. It probably just isn't cost-effective to do the work.

[remcbride]

Maybe the metric bike companies need to get into the clothing business like HD..that seems to supplement. HD. Income

[ponch]

The thing internet retailers can't compete effectively with is superior customer service from a local vendor. I would argue that if service is outstanding, someone would pay 10-15% more than some online retailer or distant competition that uses the internet. This means building relationships with customers before they even buy anything and extends well after they do. There is an old saying: Good news travels fast, bad news travels faster. Nothing will kill a business faster than a bad reputation, especially is a small to medium sized local market. It's not rocket science at all, but it is a lesson that is lost on many businesses. As the old saying goes as well, shyte rolls down hill. If a business owner does not lead by example, mistreats employees, or doesn't instruct employees well, the results will be obvious. Lots of times a crappy customer service attitude can come out of crappy management and leadership.

[desertdog]

Lots of times a crappy customer service attitude can come out of crappy management and leadership.

I agree. I try to support local dealerships when possible, but have been driven against my will to do alot of on line buying just because of attitude.

When I go to a parts counter and they can't even figure out what part number I need, there is a serious problem.

And it seems prevelant. Some of the independant shops do pretty well, but the nearest Kawa dealer that seems to know what they are doing and actually gave me a decent customer experience is 45 miles and 3 other dealerships away.

[cactusjack]

The dealership I bought my Nomad from closed its doors about a year and a half later. In fact the 3 dealerships owned by the same outfit all closed up. There are 2 Kawasaki dealers in the South East Valley, which has a population of over 1 million people and includes Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe, Apache Junction and Ahwatukee (an isolated part of Phoenix).

[desertdog]

CJ: Its too bad you live so far out in the boonies away from civilization. :)

[cactusjack]

CJ: Its too bad you live so far out in the boonies away from civilization. :)

Nah, I've got 3 HD dealers within about 20 miles of my place. I'm good to go.

[nomadtom69]

Got to keep them running

[bendusty]

I bought my 900LT and my 06 Nomad from Top Gear, when I bought the 900 in 06 they had a good staff and doing a great business. About 2 yrs ago they moved to new location and from that day they started going down hill losing employees and customers constantly. Customer service for the past two years was non existant. I hate to see anyone go out of business but it has been evident for a while.

[bendusty]

I bought my 900LT and my 06 Nomad from Top Gear, when I bought the 900 in 06 they had a good staff and doing a great business. About 2 yrs ago they moved to new location and from that day they started going down hill losing employees and customers constantly. Customer service for the past two years was non existant. I hate to see anyone go out of business but it has been evident for a while.
HIT THE WRONG BUTTON SORRY FOR THE REPOST....OLD TIMERS KICKING IN

[Top Cat]

There is an echo in here again.:tehe:

[dank]

There is an echo in here again.:tehe:

No, you're just getting old and seeing double. :lmao:

[dank]

There is an echo in here again.:tehe:

No, you're just getting old and seeing double. :lmao:

[carolinakid1]

Yep, Cycle World guys next door to Top Gear, gave me some insights into some of the problems that caused their financial demise. No echo here, just hearing voices.

[blowndodge]

Too dam funny Dan!! :tehe:

[Top Cat]

Too dam funny Dan!! :tehe:

Lets not encourage the childish behavior of some of the members Brad. :D

[RISTON]

You're right, service and accessories is where they make the most profit. It's too bad most dealers don't understand the concept of service, and I don't mean just repairs and maintenance - I mean customer service.

Your so right; most dealers don't understand how to sell and how to compete with the internet. Price is just one component of the buying decision and in todays environment that compopnent comes directly from the prices quoted on the internet. Harley sales people are probably the worst since they're very arrogant and most people buying a Harley are going to buy regardless of price, or service because they want a premium priced icon. They really don't know why but they know somebody who had a Harley etc. Metric dealerships need to fully understand the demographics of their customers, the value of Customer Service and how to understand what their customers are looking for in terms of service, support, etc.

When I first bought a bike, I went to the Harley dealership and said: "I want to buy a Sportster". Thier response was not why I wanted a Sportster but rather here's what you want! Arrogant??? Did same thing in another state, 400 miles away; same response. If they would have taken the time to ask why and tried to understand a little about my intentions they might have made a sale. In three years now on my 2nd Kawasaki.

[ponch]

Your so right; most dealers don't understand how to sell and how to compete with the internet. Price is just one component of the buying decision and in todays environment that compopnent comes directly from the prices quoted on the internet. Harley sales people are probably the worst since they're very arrogant and most people buying a Harley are going to buy regardless of price, or service because they want a premium priced icon. They really don't know why but they know somebody who had a Harley etc. Metric dealerships need to fully understand the demographics of their customers, the value of Customer Service and how to understand what their customers are looking for in terms of service, support, etc.

When I first bought a bike, I went to the Harley dealership and said: "I want to buy a Sportster". Thier response was not why I wanted a Sportster but rather here's what you want! Arrogant??? Did same thing in another state, 400 miles away; same response. If they would have taken the time to ask why and tried to understand a little about my intentions they might have made a sale. In three years now on my 2nd Kawasaki.

It's a belief system too. When I was shopping for a bike, I went to a local HD dealer. Nice enough guy and not arrogant, but he didn't understand why I didn't believe. If you present a logic discussion, they get lost and have a blank stare. It probably falls under the "if I have to explain it you'll never understand" category, except this kid was really flummoxed, like Christopher Hitchens talking to a seminary student.

[Caddyman]

There were only 3 authorized HD dealers on the island of Ireland and the one in Northern Ireland where I had my Heritage serviced once closes its doors this Saturday after 13 years in business! That leaves only two dealerships on the whole island:ohno:

http://www.provincewide.com/

[cactusjack]

We have 7 HD dealers in the greater Phoenix area, ~5 million people.

[ponch]

We have 7 HD dealers in the greater Phoenix area, ~5 million people.

We have 23 in Iowa.

[Loafer]

Caddyman, Well if they are closing, there should be some deals.
Ponch, 23 HD riders in the whole state?

[ponch]

Caddyman, Well if they are closing, there should be some deals.
Ponch, 23 HD riders in the whole state?

There were 22 or 23 a year ago. This state is crazy with Harley riders.

[Loafer]

Well that's better then 23 people in the whole state.

[Caddyman]

Caddyman, Well if they are closing, there should be some deals.
Ponch, 23 HD riders in the whole state?

You would think so but they sent ALL of their stock to HD in England as they probably owed them for bikes & accessories etc and because bikes make more over there than in N. Ireland.
There are about 4.5 million people on the whole island of Ireland right now, but back in 1840 there was 8.5 million, then "The Famine" came along and between death by starvation and emigration that dropped to around 3 million. This was one of the greatest disasters in the history of the planet. Thanks to the Brits!!
Then again you wouldn't have 50 million Irish passport holders over in North America, of course that could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your point of view!